We at GroSum are firm believers that “Process is King“.
Without a well defined and practically trialled process, a software tool cannot be expected to meet your needs.
After all, bad processes lead to bad software outcomes and vice versa, good processes lead to good outcomes.
So, our first step in helping you evaluate your needs is to check your readiness.
| Are you process ready? | Must Haves |
|---|---|
| Have you defined OKRs for everyone in the company? | |
| Are OKRs aligned bottoms up? | |
| Are all key results measurable? | |
| Do you follow a process of tracking OKRs? | |
| Do Managers and employees engage periodically on OKR progress check-ins? |
If you have answered “NO” to more than 1 question above, then chances are you still are not ready for an OKR tool.You should not go forward on this Buyer’s guide.
Specially, with regards to OKR, many times we find prospects approaching us as the Chairman or CEO has attended some workshop, watched a video or read a book on how OKR is transformational and how leading companies like Google and Intel have become so successful, and have then decided to just implement the same in their companies.
That’s a fair start but unless you have practically tried out OKRs in some manual format and checked its efficacy, please do not decide to purchase a software.
On the other hand, if you have answered YES to more than 80% of the questions, then we are happy to take this forward. The next step is to help you with setting expectations from OKR tools and the minimum criteria that should be met.
What you need from OKR tools?
| Key Features | Must Haves |
|---|---|
| Create OKRs with weightages and targets | |
| Define rules for calculating OKR progress, based on achievement and targets | |
| Link objectives to Manager's and track linked progress | |
| OKR templates that can automatically be assigned based on roles | |
| View everyone's OKRs and linked objectives | |
| Modify OKRs based on changing priorities | |
| Get feedback from colleagues, specific to OKRs | |
| Schedule periodic Check-ins between employee and managers |
| Other Hygiene Factors | Must Haves |
|---|---|
| Audit Trail to capture any changes to OKRs and progress | |
| Reports on OKR progress, check-in completion & overall assessment | |
| EMail Notifications and reminders | |
| Analytics dashboards with timeline tracking | |
| Flexible configurations to cater to evolving workflows | |
| Easy Setup & Low User Training needed | |
| Openness to customizations or feature enhancements |